Plain And Simple, Flynn Is Great Wrestler

Everything about Annapolis wrestler Pat Flynn says he's a straightforward, no-frills guy -- from his Marine-style haircut to his candor when speaking about the sport he loves best.

"I like to be in control of the tempo. I like to get the takedown real quick. Being ahead is a real boost," said Flynn, 17, who won the Class 4A/3A state title with a 33-0 record, 17 pins. "Then, when I'm on top, I just like to beat the crap out of people."

And on the wrestling mat, the 145-pound wrestler has the audacityto go with a style so blatantly plain that it is very difficult to overcome. As wrestling moves go, Flynn prefers meat and potatoes to caviar.

"I don't do a lot of flashy stuff," said Flynn, the Anne Arundel County Sun's 1990-1991 Wrestler of the Year.

Flynn rarely is baffled by an opponent's style, but there is one way to confuse him: Ask him what his favorite mat maneuvers are, or where his strengths are on the mat and he can't pick just one or two moves.

tler," said 11th-year Annapolis coach Dave Gehrdes. Last year, he had the state champion Lynch brothers, Kevin (160) and Brian (171) "and you could call them overpowering wrestlers," said Gehrdes. "But you can't put Pat in a category. He's tough on his feet, good on the top and tough coming out on the bottom."

Gehrdes credits Flynn for helping his Panthers win a share of the county dual-meet title with Old Mill and Broadneck.

Old Mill was top-ranked when it was beaten by Broadneck. The Panthers then defeated the Bruins to force a three-way tie for the countytitle -- Gehrdes' first piece of a county title in his coaching career.

"If we didn't have Pat in the lineup, we wouldn't have won thematches we did," said Gehrdes, adding that Flynn wrestled anywhere from 145 pounds to 160 pounds. "He had a willingness to go wherever wewanted to put him, and we tried to put him up against the other team's toughest wrestler.

"In the Arundel tournament, we had two good 135-pounders and we wanted to get them both in the lineup so we couldhave the strongest team possible. He moved up to 152, and we won thetournament for the first time in eight years."

Flynn, who is a "B" student, said, "When I was voted captain, I promised myself that I would try to be a good leader. I wasn't sure what my role would be this year, but I wanted to meet some challenges."

Flynn often is oneof the first wrestlers to enter the practice room and one of the last to leave.

"After every practice I like to do that little bit extra that helps you win the close matches -- you know, 50 sit-ups, 50 push-ups and 50 squats to keep my legs toned," said Flynn, who ends with an 88-11 career record.

"Then I'll run three miles and five or six hills. After that my legs really feel (the pain). But my legs arethe strong points that pull me through when my arms get tired from wrestling the muscle-heads."